Originally Posted by
priapus1966
It may not be entirely amazing. There are 1.3 million people who live in Vietnam who identify as Thai (Tai Tay) and speak a Thai dialect. There is also a series of Vietnamese villages strung along Thailand's western border. Occasionally, a reference is made on this site to a 'country' Thai girl, who in fact could come from any one of 20 or more different ethnic groups. Within Thailand, poorer women from minority groups make up a slightly disproportionate number of the 'working girls.' But when they come to Oz we tend to call all of them Thais whatever their actual ethnicity.